Season two of Fox’s The Exorcist comes to a close with episode 10 titled “Unworthy.” After a terrific (and terrifying) second season, Fox has left the show’s fate hanging. The finale airing on December 15, 2017 effectively set up a season three in a heartwrenching scene featuring Ben Daniels as Marcus Keane. And speaking of Ben Daniels, both he and Alfonso Herrera were outstanding in their second outings as exorcists.
Season two episode 10 begins with Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan) awakening from his coma to find his sister sitting beside his hospital bed. He explains why he left home, getting emotional as he confesses he couldn’t find her when he finally returned. He apologizes for leaving her 22 years ago.
Of course, it’s all a dream as he’s actually still in a coma. Two corrupt priests are in his room, discussing why Father Bennett’s the best choice to help their cause. The camera pans down, showing they’ve set the container with ashes stirring under his bed, just waiting to possess him and integrate.
Marcus drags Andy (John Cho) through the woods following their fight. Father Tomas (Herrera) finally arrives, but he’s not alone. Mouse (Zuleikha Robinson) is there, too, and she simply says, “Hello, Marcus.”
Marcus and Father Tomas take Andy back to the old deserted house and tie him up. Father Tomas finally makes Marcus talk to Mouse, although it’s obvious Marcus isn’t pleased to see her. Mouse explains she left Father Bennett at a hospital after he was attacked by Maria Walters. She’s been searching for Marcus and reveals the Church is compromised and they’re hunting down every exorcist.
Marcus and Mouse finally get to the heart of the matter. She’s still angry he left her in a possessed state for six months. Marcus reminds her she was in good hands and that he fought to save her. He wasn’t enough and she needed more help. Mouse replies, “I needed you.” Marcus says he never wanted this life for her.
Father Tomas pushes pause on their discussion to remind them they’re running out of time to help Andy. The kids have been sent away and now they need to do what they can to rid Andy of the demon.
Speaking of the kids, Rose (Li Jun Li) accompanies them off the island through a storm. Verity (Brianna Hildebrand) wonders if Shelby (Alex Barima) has a prayer he can say to help them. She admits she doesn’t totally believe in God, but Shelby assures her that’s okay. She prays while Rose stares unblinking back at the island.
Mouse, Marcus, and Father Tomas pick up the exorcism again, working together to help Andy. His body lifts off the ground as he wails and moans. The demon splinters wood on the ceiling and tosses items across the room, and then Andy suddenly flops down on the floor. Marcus leans down to check him out, and Andy cackles.
“This one’s strong,” admits Mouse. Father Tomas replies, “We’re running out of time.”
A helicopter hovers over the old house, shining its spotlight down onto the house and surrounding woods. Mouse, Father Tomas, and Marcus are fully aware their time is almost up, and Mouse whips out her gun. She’s ready to shoot Andy – kill the host, kill the demon – but Marcus tells her to put the gun down. He wants to continue, claiming they’re not executioners.
The demon speaks to Marcus and reminds him about the priest he killed in Chicago. Father Tomas tells him not to listen to the demon as it imitates his father’s voice. It taunts Marcus about the fact he enjoyed killing his father, and Marcus confirms to the demon it’s getting his story right.
Mouse is confused why the demon is still here since it failed to kill the family. It must know it can’t defeat them. Father Tomas believes Andy has the demon trapped in his body, holding it inside to allow them the opportunity to kill it. Mouse again wants to kill Andy because they’ve run out of time and the demon will soon escape.
Father Tomas suggests they offer it something it wants more. Father Tomas is willing to offer himself up since there’s no better prize than an exorcist to a demon. He wants to save Andy, even if that means he loses his soul. Father Tomas blames himself for their current situation, and Marcus confesses he doesn’t want to lose him. Father Tomas replies, “Then bring me back.”
Mouse argues Andy isn’t worth it, and the demon asks Father Tomas if he can feel him in the back of his mind. “You want me? Come and get me,” says Father Tomas as his eyes roll up in his head.
Father Tomas imagines himself back in Andy’s house. He picks up a flashlight and sees paintings of the kids on the wall with distorted faces. He heads upstairs, walking past filthy walls. He hears growling as a shadowy figure with glowing eyes emerges from a room. Suddenly, Father Tomas is no longer alone! Andy is there and he uses a bat to destroy the demon.
Andy makes them hurry down the hall to the bedroom, warning Father Tomas the demon will be back soon. He says it always comes back stronger, adding that he realizes he can’t leave. People are dead and it’s his fault, blaming himself for Harper’s mom’s death and for how the children were terrorized.
Andy’s sure if he leaves, the demon will attack some other family. They have to kill the demon; it’s their only choice. Andy has a message he wants Father Tomas to take back to the kids if something goes wrong.
Meanwhile, Marcus and Mouse argue over their present course of action. She can’t believe Marcus is wasting Father Tomas’ talent. “God sent you an atom bomb and you’re trying to turn him into a surgeon’s scalpel.” Marcus says he’s been showing Father Tomas the way, but Mouse claims they have to fight a new way. Saving one person at a time isn’t enough. They’re losing the battle, and Father Tomas’ gift could possibly turn the tide.
Inside Father Tomas, he and Andy walk back down the hall – bat at the ready. Andy wishes this was just a dream he couldn’t wake up from. Suddenly, the demon is back and it’s grabbed Andy. It drags him away and Father Tomas now sees Nikki emerging from assorted rooms, and then grotesquely contorted and crawling toward him in the hall. He runs into a room and barricades it.
Andy’s in the room and he’s in horrible shape. A beehive has opened on the skin covering his stomach and bugs crawl in and out of the holes. Father Tomas tells him it’s his turn to fight, saying he’s offering himself to the demon so that Andy will be let go. Father Tomas wants Andy to leave to be with his kids, but Andy continues to insist this is his responsibility.
The demon bangs on the bedroom door as the paintings on the wall meltdown to the floor and form a massive puddle. Father Tomas prays, demanding the demon to leave. The door grows quiet. Why? Because behind Father Tomas the demon is forming from the melted paints on the floor. It rises up, body completely covered in what looks like glistening black oil. Only its eyes and mouth are clearly visible.
Father Tomas tells it to let Andy go and to take him instead. Andy yells no, as the demon chokes Father Tomas. It bends over him on the floor, lips touching lips as it breathes into his mouth.
Marcus and Mouse try and wake Father Tomas, but he’s lost inside with the demon. Marcus, with tears in his eyes, yells for Father Tomas to get out of his vision.
Mouse and Marcus try to revive Father Tomas, telling him to get out of there. Father Tomas’ eye reveals two pupils as the demon tries to integrate itself with the priest. Andy issues a horrific scream in the deserted house as inside the vision the real Andy screams from his place on the floor. He watches the demon enter Father Tomas and yells, “Marcus, if you can hear me, shoot her! Shoot her now!”
The demon screams inside Andy’s body in the house while inside Father Tomas’ head, the demon continues entering his body through his mouth as it holds the priest down on the floor.
Marcus cradles Father Tomas’ body and aims the gun, which he took from Mouse, at Andy’s head. Andy says, “Do it,” and Marcus pulls the trigger.
Inside Father Tomas’ vision, the demon disintegrates. Father Tomas’ eye returns to normal and he rolls to the ground, exhausted.
Marcus is overcome with emotions as he touches Andy’s dead body.
Father Tomas comes to and realizes Marcus had to shoot Andy.
Squad cars arrive at the old house, with the officers pulling their guns as they approach the front door. Andy’s dead body remains inside the house.
Rose speaks to the police at the station, insisting Andy was a great father. She says he loved those kids for six years, but the detective reminds her that four people are dead. Plus, the kids all insist they were attacked by their father.
Rose explains Lorraine Graham broke into the house and held a knife to her daughter’s throat. Andy only killed her to protect the kids, says Rose. Rose adds the neighbors were killed because something happened to Andy after he killed Lorraine. She confirms Andy only got violent against her and the children after she tried to take the kids off the island. He wonders why she didn’t report any of this, and she replies that it was because she was trapped on an island and trying to protect four traumatized kids while being chased by Andy. She adds, “I thought the paperwork could wait.”
The detective assures her the kids are only alive because of her.
The kids wait on a bench at the station, concerned about where they’re going next. Father Tomas has been watching over them until Rose is finished with her interview. She takes charge again, thanking the priest for his help.
As the kids start to walk away, Father Tomas tells Rose that Andy gave him a message for the kids – and for her. Father Tomas reveals that Andy was sorry he didn’t tell Rose how he felt about her and what she meant to him. He hopes she knew that.
Father Tomas then turns and reveals Andy’s message to the kids. “He said, ‘Tell the kids that Nikki and I loved them. We loved them all so damn much. Tell Truck (Cyrus Arnold) never forget that he is smarter and kinder than anyone gives him credit for. And just because sometimes people don’t see that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
Tell Harper don’t let anyone tell you that anything’s wrong with you because you are perfect in every way. And, even though you weren’t in my house for long, you’ll always be my daughter. Caleb, I’m in awe of your courage and the fact that you can still face the world with a smile on your face makes me love you all the more.
Shelby, I know you did everything you could to protect our family. You were strong when I was weak. And you were brave when it mattered. Oh god, I’m so proud to call you my son.
And tell Verity, tell Verity that she changed our lives when she came to stay. She saved us.’”
Andy also said, “Tell them that it doesn’t matter where you came from. Every one of you is going to go on and do amazing things and lead amazing lives. And even though I may not be there to see it happen, you will always, always be part of me.”
Father Tomas assures them Andy gave his life to make sure the demon couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. He was a hero.
Back at the hotel, Mouse gets her truck ready while Father Tomas checks on Marcus. They’re ready to leave, but Marcus says he’s not coming with them. He says he’s compromised after taking a man’s life. He doesn’t believe he’s worthy, but Father Tomas reminds him Andy wanted Marcus to stop the demon no matter the cost. Marcus doesn’t care since he committed a mortal sin. Marcus broke the vow to not harm anyone, but Father Tomas asks how many lives will be saved because of what he did?
Marcus doesn’t regret pulling the trigger. He hasn’t heard God’s voice in a long time and admits he doesn’t feel anything. He says in that moment he rejected God’s love. Father Tomas confesses he would have sacrificed himself to save Andy, but Marcus acknowledges he wasn’t willing to sacrifice Father Tomas for Andy.
Father Tomas doesn’t know how to move forward without Marcus, and Marcus reminds him he’s an exorcist. He needs to put his trust in God and he’ll be fine. They shake and then hug, and Father Tomas doesn’t want to let go.
“Not forever…just for now,” says Father Tomas.
Marcus stops by Mouse at the truck and tells her to keep an eye on Father Tomas. Also, not to let him drive because he’s horrible. She tells him to take care of himself. He walks away as Father Tomas and Mouse watch.
Back inside the hotel room, Father Tomas doesn’t seem to think Marcus will be gone forever. Mouse, however, is sure Marcus is gone for good. Father Tomas confesses he can’t do this alone, and Mouse suggests she’s been sent by God to help him finish his journey. She asks him to help her.
They head out on a road trip, knowing they’re being hunted by the Church.
Back at the hospital, Father Bennett’s eyes spring open. He’s been integrated! After a nurse enters and then leaves his room, he follows her and chops off her head. A statue outside is also headless.
Three months later, Truck is reunited with Rose. They hug and then sit down to catch up. Truck’s having a horrible time at the psychiatric hospital. No one talks to him, they don’t turn off the lights at night, and he misses Andy. Rose at least has some good news. She’s found a temporary home for him that could one day become permanent.
Rose accompanies Truck to his new foster home, making him promise he’ll be patient because the foster mom is brand new. He agrees. They enter the home and Rose asks what he thinks. He looks around the kitchen and sees photos of Rose on the refrigerator. He can’t believe this is Rose’s house and then he hears his foster siblings in the other room. They’ve hung a big “Welcome Home, Truck” banner and collapse into a group hug.
A photo of the kids, Andy, and Nikki graces the fireplace mantel.
Catching up with Marcus, it appears he’s gotten a job on the docks. As he’s staring out into the ocean, he gasps. He hears a high-pitched ringing and says, “I can hear you. I’m listening.” Face wracked with emotion, he says, “Tomas?”
More on The Exorcist:
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 1
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 2
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 3
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 4
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 5
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 6
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 7
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 8
– Recap of The Exorcist Season 2 Episode 9
– Interview with Ben Daniels, Alfonso Herrera and Kurt Egyiawan
– Interview with John Cho and Brianna Hildebrand
